Ben Bishop stopped all 37 shots he faced for the shutout victory. Columbus' fans decided to make Bishop a target after he was interfered with on a goal that was waved off early in the game, and the Blue Jackets ran Ben several times, including a pretty wicked leg sweep by Foligno. All the sweeter for Bishop, who handed down some U of Maine Justice by blanking his would-be tormenters.

The Lightning entered this game pretty well needing a win, having dropped their last 3 with 2 of those being distinctive clunkers against Philly. That's why Bishop was in net today, when if all things were even I think this is a start Cooper might've slid Vasilevskiy's way. Columbus has learned to play a little tighter defensively under Tortorella and they're an extremely physical (goonish) team. They push the envelope of the rules. And, further complicating things, the Lightning ended up playing over half the game with 9 forwards after Valtteri Filppula and Nikita Kucherov had to leave the game with injury (the latter taking a sucker punch in a post whistle scrum from Prout that should be suspension-worthy, in my opinion, if the league gives a damn about protecting its stars).

Tired and sore, the Lightning answered the bell. They manufactured the goals they needed to get the 2-0 lead, they played tight enough defense, and they eventually broke it open on a couple of masterful shorthanded goals by Stamkos and Palat. Today wasn't a game that the Lightning would've circled on the calendar heading into it, but the way they handled adversity in a chippy game makes this a far more important victory than it may have looked on paper.

A little comment on Columbus before I move on: that team is an embarrassment. Let me reiterate: that team is an embarrassment. God bless Tortorella for getting them to play hard, but the fine line between playing hard and playing dirty got obliterated this afternoon. You had Foligno low-bridging a goaltender and body-slamming Namestnikov. You had Prout sucker-punching a Russian goal scorer in a post-whistle scrum that may have concussed Kucherov. You had Bourque slashing Tyler Johnson across the hands with the game well out of hand. You had Calvert slashing another Lightning player right at the final buzzer. That says nothing about all the other stick infractions, clutching and grabbing, and sucker punches and slashes the Blue Jackets got away with as the game wore on. They started to look like a glorified Central Hockey League team as things wore on, and the NHL out to seriously be ashamed there's a product like that anywhere on the league's ice. I wish John Tortorella all the best in taking a book of matches and a gallon or two of lighter fluid to that roster in the offseason in the pursuit of building a team that isn't an appalling laughing stock for anyone who cares about seeing the game played the right way.

With Valtteri Filppula hurt, I wouldn't be shocked to see a Tanner Richard recall, as he was held out of Syracuse's lineup today.

With 1 game left to play in Segment Seven of the season, the Lightning have cleared the minimum 12 points they needed from the 10-game set by 1 point. That means the next contest against Toronto on Tuesday will be an opportunity to pick up 2 more insurance points and drive the magic number they need in Segment Eight of the season to comfortably make the playoffs down even further from 11, which is where it currently stands.

Adam Wilcox allowed 2 goals on 27 shots for the victory. Zettler continues to ride the hot hand after Wilcox has gone 4-0-1 in his last 5 starts. He's got a sporty .934 save percentage thus far in his four starts in March.

A 3 goals deficit in pro hockey SHOULD be a death sentence. Syracuse improbably erased a 3 goal deficit after 40 minutes only to see ex-Lightning property Mike Kostka put Bingo ahead with under a minute to go. Not to be deterred, Tye McGinn tied the game with under 10 seconds to go before Matthew Peca eventually put it away in the Shootout. When you cough up a 3 goal lead like that, it's emotionally devastating. When you come back and win a game by erasing one, it can be emotionally galvanizing. We'll see if the Crunch get a bounce off of this win.

Yanni Gourde and Tanner Richard were the game's second and third stars. Richard's multi-point night puts him at 5 goals and 13 points in 13 games for the month of January. Richard had just 1 goal and 15 points this season prior to the new year.

Prior to the game the Tampa Bay Lightning suspended Jonathan Drouin for failure to join the Crunch for tonight's game. Drouin's agent issued a statement claiming that the Lightning had told his client that a trade was imminent and that the agent and the player had made the decision to forego further games in the AHL to avoid the risk of injury prior to any trade. The tell in this situation is that the Crunch are playing Toronto tonight, which makes the decision by Drouin and his agent look like a very transparent attempt to create a media feeding frenzy in one of the two biggest media markets in Canada in order to force Steve Yzerman's hand.

If a trade were close at hand, though, Drouin and Walsh have almost certainly jeopardized it with this stunt. The move is clearly an orchestrated effort to hurt the organization while Drouin also, point blank, gave up on his teammates in both Tampa Bay and Syracuse in the process. Any GM worth their salt will now view Drouin and his baggage (Walsh) with an even more jaundiced eye, harming his value and putting Yzerman in a difficult position. Drouin's trade value may be depressed in the short term by this stunt, perhaps making the prudent course for the Lightning to stand pat and force Drouin to report back to Syracuse, which would also send the correct message in terms of organizational discipline. But, do the Lightning really want a player who has put self interest above the good of his team and organization in such a public display in the locker room in Syracuse, even if Drouin could be forced to show up?

Rock, meet hard place.

Fortunately, there is some short term pressure relief in Tampa Bay due to the team's current rise in the standings. Given the team looks resurgent without Drouin, there is less urgency to leverage the player as an asset to help the club up top. So perhaps an extended hiatus for Drouin might not be the worst thing in the world at this moment. In the end, Drouin and Walsh's tantrums aside, the Lightning still hold all the cards in this situation, and they can certainly wait this situation out as long as they please.

A playmaker in junior, the Syracuse Crunch center spent the past two years developing a more physical presence fit for a grinding line. In his third full pro season, Richard has become the team’s most reliable player for faceoffs and is refining his ability to be an agitator that takes the opposition off their game.

Richard’s versatility has earned him more playing time in all situations.

“He’s matured as a player, because he’s more well-rounded,” said Crunch head coach Rob Zettler. “I can use him in a number of different situations. I trust him out there and he works hard to get back as well. He’s earned his ice time and he’s certainly been a valuable player for us all year.”